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Hedgehog Mushrooms Delivery or Pickup
The Instacart guide to hedgehog mushroom products
About mushrooms
Hedgehog mushrooms are a prized fungus found in the forests of North America and Europe. Unlike many mushrooms, which can be quite subtle, hedgehog mushrooms have a strong nutty and sweet flavor and intense aroma. Its slightly crunchy texture also sets it apart from other mushroom varieties. Shop for the celebrated hedgehog mushrooms on Instacart for delivery to your door in as little as 2 hours!
As with all mushrooms, hedgehog mushrooms are a low-fat, low-calorie food with many health benefits, including being:
- One of the few non-animal sources of vitamin D.
- A rich source of immune-supporting nutrients such as protein, fiber, B vitamins, and selenium.
- A heart-healthy food that can lower cholesterol.
- Low in sodium.
- Nutritionally dense.
- Rich in natural antioxidants, which prevent disease and cell damage.
As with other mushroom species, you can eat them raw or cooked once your hedgehog mushrooms arrive. They are crunchy when raw, but stay firm when they're cooked. This firm texture reminds many people of meat. In fact, many vegetarians, vegans, and people trying to eat less meat use mushrooms instead of meat in meals like stroganoff and Bolognese.
You can also consume hedgehog mushrooms fresh or enjoy dried varieties, which have an even stronger taste and smell. Fresh hedgehog mushrooms are incredibly versatile. You can toss raw mushrooms through a salad or cook them in many different meals. Toss cooked mushrooms into a sauce, stir-fry them with other vegetables, or saute them in butter for an easy side dish. Cooking mushrooms quickly in this way retains their taste and texture. Alternatively, cook them low and slow in a stew. Dried hedgehog mushrooms are also popular in stews and stuffing, where they have time to absorb some of the liquid around them.
How to pick out mushrooms
Fresh hedgehog mushrooms have a mid-sized cap with an irregular shape and a small depression. They get their name from the droopy gills underneath the cap, which look a little like the spikes of a hedgehog. Their stalks should be a creamy white color.
The tastiest hedgehog mushrooms have paler-colored caps and firm gills or spines. As hedgehog mushrooms age, their caps darken and turn up at the sides, and the gills become brittle and easy to flake away. They also become more bitter. Eat your mushrooms before they take on this appearance to ensure they last in your fridge and taste their best.
Hedgehog mushrooms are harvested from mid-August through to November. Shopping for hedgehog mushrooms during this period will help you get the freshest mushrooms.
How to store and preserve mushrooms
Mushrooms can deteriorate quickly, so put your Instacart delivery in a fridge set to a temperature of no more than 40 degrees Fahrenheit as soon as possible. Keep your mushrooms in their original packaging or a paper bag. Paper bags create the kind of high-oxygen environment that mushrooms love. However, they don't protect mushrooms from bruising as the original plastic packages do. Small holes in the plastic packaging help prevent a build-up of carbon dioxide that accelerates spoilage.
If you don't intend to consume your mushrooms within the week, you can preserve them in several ways:
- Pickling: Scrape the spikes from underneath the cap, then pickle your mushrooms in vinegar and spices. They will last several weeks in the pickling solution.
- Freezing: Saute them in butter, then divide them into meal-size portions. Store them in freezer-safe bags or containers for several months, then simply add them to soups or stews as required.
Hedgehog Mushrooms Near Me
Buy your favorite Hedgehog Mushrooms online with Instacart. Order Hedgehog Mushrooms from local and national retailers near you and enjoy on-demand, contactless delivery or pickup within 2 hours.
FAQs about mushrooms
Hedgehog mushrooms are very similar to chanterelle mushrooms. Both of these mushroom varieties have a nutty, slightly sweet taste and firm texture. They also grow in the same locations. As they are so similar, many people substitute hedgehog mushrooms for chanterelles when chanterelles are out of season and vice versa. Chanterelles appear earlier than hedgehog mushrooms, with hedgehogs appearing towards the end of the chanterelles' growing season. As hedgehog mushrooms can withstand the cold better than chanterelles, they are available for more than a month after chanterelles die off.
Wash fresh wild mushrooms, including hedgehog mushrooms, before eating or cooking them. Washing removes bugs, wood chips, pine needles, and other elements from the forest floor. After washing your mushrooms, lay them out to dry on some kitchen towels or sheet pans lined with paper towels. Leave them for an hour before chopping up the caps and stalks. Mushrooms that aren't completely dry won't taste as flavorful, and they may develop a slimy texture during the cooking process, so make sure you don't skip this step.
Make sure you wash your hedgehog mushrooms just before using them. Adding water to mushrooms before storing them in the refrigerator can speed up spoilage caused by bacteria.